Hey y'all 👋 OakenLake here, and I’ve got something exciting to share with y'all!!
If you don’t know me, hi! My name is KS Adams, otherwise known as Skadi OakenLake. I was a teacher for almost ten years, retiring for good back in 2021. I did my time in middle school English, and have taught in many other capacities since then too. You could say that teaching is a passion, but really it’s more that I love talking about things I know a lot about with people who don’t know a lot about what I'm teaching! This includes novels, poetry, history, archaeology, crystals, crafts, herbs…if it’s witchy or nerdy I probably know just enough.
In 2019, I started my table top role playing journey. My husband Reed is a huge gamer, and having always wanted to try Dungeons and Dragons I just never had people to play with until him. I did a couple of one-offs with him and his friends, and that gave me a good idea of what a game looked like but I didn’t really understand a lot of it. Last year, however, when Baldur's Gate 3 came out, I was all over it like flies to honey. I was finally able to keep up with conversations that revolved around D&D, and could not only keep up but I was able to engage and participate. I played that game so much that it gave me the confidence to want to learn how to be a Dungeon Master, and started getting me thinking about how to explain it to others. It made me think that if I’d had BG3 as a resource back then, I would’ve learned it all ages ago.
Then it got me thinking about the Gatherings. At one time, I was a partner who knew nothing about D&D and it made me feel bad because I wanted to be able to understand. For both my partner and myself. So that got me thinking about the Gatherings and how there are probably partners and kids who want to learn but just never had the right teacher. Teaching is so hard, but that’s why I’m here to do it for you. If you have a partner or child who would like to do a one off at Gathering Legacy, all you have to do is look for my tent- OakenLake Creations Kiddie Pool! I’ll have floor seating if partners or parents would like to join.
Also, I’ll have all the materials you’ll need to learn the basics. All you’ll need is a smart device! (Even if you don’t have one, I’ll have printed copies 💚)
Here’s what we’ll cover:
- Character building 101: race, class, all stats, AC, etc
- Level up basics: feats, HP, class perks, etc
- Action: initiative, movement, actions, etc. (Participants will battle to gain XP to reach level 5 before leaving)
I will be basing all the lesson, rules and materials off of 5th Edition and closely aligning with the mechanics from BG3. While everything we cover should apply to any entry level game, please be advised your DM could make changes to your sheet based on their set of rules (I will provide a pencil and a character sheet for whenever you need to add notes to or make changes). You will be required to have a level 5 character sheet at any of the games, so this can also be a think tank if you'd like to join your partner in the tent. If you can bring a pair of dice, please do- otherwise you may borrow one from me with permission from MiladyLi, who has kindly offered to bring some of her hoarde!
I plan to offer three sessions throughout the day at 11:00, 1:00 and 3:00. Once you have completed the mock battle, you’ll be free to leave to continue working on your character sheet on your own. My classroom is an open and welcome one- I greet all my students with a clean slate and the same respect I would give anyone else. Please feel free to ask any questions while you’re in my class, no matter how silly, and I will answer as best I can or find out for you! I am still in the process of learning gaming mechanics myself, but I am happy to teach because that is my gift. And the only way I’m happy with gifts is when I get to share them.
Be sure to follow the NorseForged Gathering YouTube channel for updates as they come, I’m so excited for Gathering Legacy! HUZZAH!!